Unprofessional and Lack of Empathy!!!!

I bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max in May 2021

3 months down the line the phone is not connecting to mobile data, I visited the Vodacom store in Canal Walk to be informed there is a national Apple issue and they are attending to it.

I went back to the Vodacom store around October 2021, the lady told me the same story of national issue especially on the new models. She just took out my sim-card and inserted in another device and it worked, then she said that it might be my area, that time wherever I go it doesn’t connect. Even when I was at the store.

I called the Customer Care the lady just logged a call and gave me a reference number.

Mid-November 2021 I got a call that Vodacom is phasing out the closed plan I was using and moving me to the top-up Red plan from December 2021.

In December I couldn’t make calls or use mobile data, I further called the Customer Care and was informed that the migration is still in progress I must wait for a week. I called again, they guy who assisted me was very helpful he explained that since the previous plan had a usage limit, I must load airtime of more than R25 if I want to utilize the top-up option. He escalated the usage limit hold to be removed.

Around the 27th December 2021 I received a call from his Manager apologizing for the inconvenience caused and gave me complementary data and airtime in the meantime while resolving the matter.

Following that, I received a call from the IT Technician who reset my sim-card and asked that I switch sim-card between phones. My sim-card worked in another phone but not in my phone, he advised it’s a device issue I must take my phone to a Vodacom store for assessment.

The first week of January 2022, I went to Vodacom store in Savannah Mall the lady informed me the new models have issues of picking up network below 5G there is no need for the phone to be assessed, she changed the network to 4G Auto. The phone mobile data worked for 2 hours and defaulted back then stopped working. I tried the same settings she followed and didn’t work.

Mid-January 2022 on Sunday I visited Vodacom store in Canal Walk, I was informed the IT Technician have knock-off there is no one in store to assist me. I must come back the following day as the assessment will take an estimate of 2 hours.

The first week of February 2022, I visited yet another Vodacom store in Canal Walk the same lady who assisted me around October 2021 told me she knows what the problem is after I explained all the drama I have encountered with the phone there is no need for an IT Technician. She did a network factor resetting and phone worked for about 3 days, yet again defaulted back.

I went to Vodacom store Canal Walk on the 13th February 2022 to book in the phone with the IT Technician for assessment, I was informed that the system is being upgraded they will do a manual booking and I will get feedback within 24 hours what the problem might be. I called on the 17th February 2022, the reception lady (Stephanie) said someone for the IT service will call you before end of day and no one called. I called again on the 18th February 2022, the reception lady (Stephanie) said she can only make notes on the system for callback and has escalated for some to call me back. Later in the day I received a call Kyle, he stated the phone was not assessed as per the conversation we had on Sunday when he booked the phone but rather was just sent to Johannesburg Repair Centre. They will call to provide an update. On the Sunday, the 20th February 2022 I passed by the store for feedback the guy provided me with the new Job Card paper and said I will receive feedback before Wednesday. I called the store 4 times (repairs and reception) today and no one answered the phone.

Every month since the problem started I'm donating my "paid" mobile data to Vodacom for free, which is a frustration. I use my phone for work, and this is negatively disadvantaging me. I will be travelling the coming, what do you expect me to use?